Agriculture & Co-Op Education Director

North Dakota Farmers Union•Bismarck, ND

About The Position

The Agriculture & Co-Op Education Director leads programs that educate future cooperative leaders and active farmers and ranchers. The role develops and manages college cooperative internship opportunities, builds a pipeline of future cooperative directors, and fosters partnerships and collaboration among cooperatives. It also leads educational events—including webinars, workshops, and the Evolution Ag Summit—to support farmers’ and ranchers’ decision-making and readiness. The Director receives strategic direction from the Senior Director of the Foundation and partners with the Government Affairs team to provide timely, relevant educational opportunities. The position builds relationships with universities, cooperatives, Extension, government agencies, private-sector organizations, and nongovernmental organizations; represents the organization at events; and collaborates with communications and organizational teams to promote education initiatives. The position may be based in Bismarck or Jamestown, North Dakota, has a flexible schedule that includes some day, evening, and weekend work, and requires travel as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics, farm management, agricultural education, leadership development, nonprofit management, organization development, or a related field.
3–5 years of professional experience in program development, adult education or training, leadership development, cooperative organizations, nonprofit or coalition management, or community engagement.
Demonstrated experience developing and managing programs, partnerships, and collaborative initiatives.
Strong facilitation, presentation, written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
Ability to build relationships and work with people of all ages, skill types, and personnel and member levels.
Ability to analyze data and produce reports.
Knowledge of cooperative principles, cooperative business structures, governance, and cooperatives’ roles in communities and the economy.
Knowledge of program development, implementation, and evaluation.
Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with NDFU Foundation staff, NDFU leadership, cooperatives, and external partners.
Availability for some day, evening, and weekend work.
Ability to travel as needed.

Nice To Haves

Strong familiarity with agriculture and North Dakota’s cooperative business sector.

Responsibilities

Lead and implement a collegiate cooperative internship program.
Partner with the Quentin Burdick Center for Cooperatives to establish internship standards, resources, expectations, and evaluation processes.
Recruit cooperatives and help them create quality internship opportunities aligned with students’ interests and academic requirements.
Work with the Youth Education Director to promote internships, facilitate recruitment, and support participants.
Develop and lead a comprehensive training program to prepare future cooperative directors.
Identify emerging leaders, support new directors, and provide continuing education, networking, and professional learning opportunities.
Lead and support a statewide network or coalition of cooperatives committed to promoting cooperative businesses and their impact on North Dakota.
Convene cooperative leaders and facilitate shared educational, workforce, communications, and community or consumer engagement initiatives.
Identify grant, sponsorship, partnership, and other funding opportunities for cooperative education and leadership initiatives.
Grow educational programs that support on-farm decision-making, including workshops, summits, and webinars.
Manage the Evolution Ag Summit by developing topics and agendas, recruiting speakers, and overseeing event execution.
Host succession-planning workshops and develop initiatives to support farm succession decisions.
Plan and host webinars providing timely updates on farm programs.
Evaluate emerging agricultural market trends and design programs that help farmers and ranchers respond.
Build and maintain relationships with universities, cooperatives, Extension, government agencies, private-sector organizations, and nongovernmental organizations.
Research developments in government programs and market trends, and attend relevant seminars, workshops, and events.
Represent the organization and its cooperative and agricultural education initiatives at college and career fairs, events, meetings, and other activities.
Collaborate with the NDFU Communications Team on communications and marketing strategies for NDFU and NDFU Foundation initiatives.
Partner with NDFU and NDFU Foundation teams to deliver education and information at their events.
Develop materials and activities to educate consumers about family farming and ranching.